Mischief Managed
by CrypticKilljoy
Summary: My Chemical Romance & The Harry Potter Gang begin their fourth year at Hogwarts. What will happen after Dumbledore's hard hitting announcement? Rated T for implied moments of Frerard, some harsh language. Back In Action :
1. Chapter 1

Okay, first of all - I **do not own Harry Potter or any related characters, nor do I know any members of My Chemical Romance and yeah, this is my first attempt at something on here, please, comment, review etc. xx**

**CHAPTER ONE  
**

Frank Iero, Gerard Way and his brother, Mikey Way, Robert Bryar and Ray Toro. These were not ordinary fourteen year olds; they were wizards and they were on their fourth journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Frank, Gerard and Mikey were a part of Gryffindor whilst Ray and Bob were Ravenclaws.  
As desperate as they were to live a normal life; it would not be possible, perhaps for Frank more so than the others. He and Gerard had been trying to hide the fact that they were a couple from the prying eyes of the rest of Hogwarts School, however, because some students were slightly more adept at discovering things, i.e. the Weasley twins; Fred and George, who received their information from their younger brother – Ron who was close friends with both Frank and Gerard. It was through this means that the boys were introduced to 'The Boy Who Lived' – Harry James Potter and Hermione Granger.  
Frank and his friends sat in their compartment discussing the summer… and Summer. Summer was Frank's 'baby' sister, (they were twins, however, she had been born after Frank,) she too was a proud Gryffindor. She and her own friends, away from her brother, had decided to have their own compartment. Some things, in Summer's opinion, were definitely not for her brother's ears.

"Frank, had you heard anything from H. or anyone over the summer?" Bob repeated anxiously; although from a different house, Bob had bonded with Harry, perhaps more so than the others.

Frank shook his head. "No. He's probably been 'busy' though, we all saw what happened at the World Cup…" He sighed, linking his arm with Gerard's.

"And, we all know that his aunt and uncle enjoy locking Hedwig up." He added, self-justifying his statement. Silence filled the compartment as each was lost into his own thoughts.

_____RaY'.ofview______

With at least three hours of the train journey left, the five of us had begun to get very slowly bored. Being stuck on a train for such an extended period of time gives few options of activities. Mikey was trying to not get distracted by his brother and best friend embraced beside him, by re-re-reading 'QUIDDITCH TEAMS OF THE 20TH CENTURY', the book was now dog-eared, moth eaten and several pages had been taped back into place. Bob, who sat opposite me, had begun waving his wand distractedly and therefore, blue sparks shot out of the end, narrowly missing my hair.

Another half an hour passed. By which point, Frank had decided that he was going to complain about being hungry. Also, people, who, like us had gotten bored of their own compartments were passing by, giving us the opportunity to catch up with friends and in Summer's case; family. She had brought several of her friends; Sophia, Bella, Ellie and two girls whom we did not know. Much like Frank, she possessed the typical traits I had come to associate with Gryffindors; the pride, the loyalty, the compassion and more importantly – the bravery.

"Guys, I thought I'd let you know that the food trolley has just been down our end of the train, so she'll be here soon." She grinned, throwing a Berttie Botts Every Flavour Bean at Gerard's head.

We thanked her briefly, thankful for the delivery of news that would finally shut Frank up. For a while, at least. My attention was drawn to one of Summer's friends; it was almost as if she struggled with words when she was around, well, people. Her eyes were fixed on Bob as he drummed into thin air. Bob remained transfixed on his rhythm, not noticing the attention he was receiving.

"Oh, Frank, if you're wondering where Harry, Ron and Hermione are – they're down our end. We could send them up this way if you want," Sophia added, a deep pink climbing up her neck.

He shrugged. We would meet up with Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sooner or later; at that precise moment; he was too wrapped up in his boyfriend's eyes to pay a considerable amount of attention.

_­_______Summer'.._________

It was typical, having to watch my brother flirt and be downright sickening with Gerard. I had no problem with them being a couple; however, it was not fair when I had put up with it for the entire summer! I was not the only one either, who was beginning to get kinda pissed with it – Bob had already told Ray and me that he needed a girlfriend, so having to watch Frank and Gee together was causing him more pain than any of us.  
I had the perfect way to put an end to his pain; to set him up with my friend, the girl who had blushed first to a deep peach straight through to a wonderful plum purple. Her name was Kerry, she, like Robert, was a Ravenclaw, enjoyed drumming and was an incredibly shy person. It was perfect…

______Frank'.._______

Bob had been sitting unusually quiet since Sum and the girls had left, still shooting blue sparks from the tip of his wand. Gee had got quite annoyed with this…

"Bob, if you do not stop doing that, I will have to show you what happens when you burn my GOD-DAMN CLOTHES!" He yelled suddenly, drawing his own wand on Bob threateningly. It transpired that Bob had singed his precious muggle jacket. I took it into my own hands to calm the situation, Mikey was still reading his book and Ray was staring out of the window quietly.

"Bob, come with me. We're going for a walk." I said suddenly, climbing to my feet. My statement came as a shock to Gerard and Mikey. I had never been all that close to Bob – his presence had the tendency to scare me ever so slightly.

Gerard gripped my hand as I made to walk out of the door. "Gee, baby, I'm only going for a walk – I'll be right back." I reassured him, pressing my lips to the back of hand gently.  
Bob followed me from the compartment, skepticism clouding his face. Not surprising really, we rarely had the time to speak alone; he was a Ravenclaw whereas, I was, am even, a Gryffindor. Animosity among the houses was stronger than most would think between our two houses.

"What, Iero? I have work to be doing," He muttered, staring a hole through my skull; I was almost a head shorter than him… Being so much shorter, a hell of a lot shorter than him – I would have to rely mainly on my powers of persuasion.

"You like Kerry, don't you?" I said shortly, skidding to a halt in the corridor. He stared at me, reading my expression intently. Finally, he nodded once. I was shocked that Bob had finally, for the first time in all the years I had known him, admitted that he like a girl, and this time, she was not just any girl; she was perfect for him. All Sum and I needed to do, was to get the two of them together.

______Bella'.._______

Frank and Summer fought like cat and dog, however, they could come together and raise hell when they got along. They were closer than a lot of siblings at Hogwarts, and that included the Weasley twins.

When we had managed to navigate our way back through the train to our compartment, Sum's anger had been replaced by a fit of giggles, mainly over Kerry's reaction when she had seen Bob.

"Kez, you like Bob, don't you?" Summer asked suddenly, her giggles subsiding. Kerry stopped what she was doing to gawp at Sum, almost as if she could not believe the accusation.

"Course I don't…" Kerry answered sarcastically, finally admitting what we already knew.

The conversation soon turned to something that was occurring at Hogwarts this year. Living in the muggle world had its disadvantages; none of us had had access to 'The Daily Prophet'; Sophia did on the other hand.

"Have you guys not heard then? Something big is supposed to be happening…" Gloated Sophia "My parents said it's a bit like a contest or something…"

All of us dropped what we were doing and stared at her. "You cannot leave it at that!" I yelled at her, dropping my box of Chocolate Frogs on the floor of the carriage, the others echoed my statement and began throwing Berttie Botts Every Flavour Beans in her direction.

Sophia ducked behind a book and hid there until we had exhausted our supply of beans and, well, as a group of teenage girls, we would not use our Chocolate Frogs as ammunition.

"Okay, fine. I give in; Mum told me, even though she wasn't supposed to, she works in the Department of Magical Sports and Games. So, she kinda heard about this thing that has been put together – three wizarding schools gather together to compete in three kinda dangerous tasks… That's all she told me, okay?" She squealed, holding her hands up in surrender.

We took this as an adequate response, knowing that if anything so significant was going to happen at Hogwarts, Dumbledore would announce it at the feast. So, silence fell and we began to examine the scenery flying past the windows of the train become darker and greener, which could only mean one thing; we were nearing Hogsmade Station.

"Come on, ladies. I think we should change. I can see Hogwarts." Ellie announced, wiping the condensation that had been obscuring her view, from the window.

__________ _

Rain lashed at the windows as Harry Potter stared out of the compartment door... Barely listening to the argument his two best friends were having beside him.

"Ronald! Will you control that damn owl! Crookshanks is trying to sleep!" Yelled Hermione Granger angrily,

"I can't control this bloody thing Hermione!" Answered Ron miserably, throwing an owl treat at his owl's cage in a hope of shutting it up. To no avail...

"I've had enough! Both of you just shut the hell up!" Harry groaned his head in his hands.

He was attempting to block out the pain from his lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead. His friends muttered their simultaneous, and, in Ron's case, begrudging, apologies.

Harry shook his head, accepting their apologies. Although he had accepted them, he still needed a break from the claustrophobic atmosphere of the compartment. Climbing to his feet, Harry headed out of the door and made to turn down the corridor, when a familiar drawling sneer met his ears; that of Draco Malfoy.

"I mean to say, did you see that freak and his little Pansy back there? It's a disgrace that they're allowed into this school." He sneered. Famous for his disgust at the prospect of muggle-born students in the school, Draco Malfoy however, was further disgusted at the idea of those muggle-borns being gay.

_"The hypocritical snake!" Harry hissed and ducked behind the wall, concealing himself from view. Withdrawing his wand, Harry murmured the first curse that came to mind. . . "Wingardium leviosa." Malfoy was suspended in mid-air and hopelessly groping for his wand, while Harry stood below and laughed. The first time he had done so since the end of the previous school term. _

_  
"The next time you feel like insulting one of my friends, Malfoy, make sure I'm nowhere near-by!" He hissed, with a small giggle. _

"Oh, you wait, Potter, I'll –" Began Draco, his arms and legs flailing. Harry cut him off mid-sentence.

"You'll do what, snake? Tell your father? Oh, good. I could do with a laugh, especially when your father threatens me!" Harry laughed sourly, turning away and muttering the counter-curse…

____Bella'.____

From our compartment, we could hear the exchange taking place between Harry and the Slytherin Snake – Malfoy. Summer's hand stiffened on the compartment door, there was only one student in the school was so rudely described as a 'Pansy'; Frank.

"The evil, pure blooded, scum!" She growled, forcing the door open beneath her hand. I had to drag her back inside before she did something she may regret…

"Sum, we all know what a scumbag Malfoy is. He shouldn't be able to treat Frankie that way, however, please, for your brother's sake, do not risk getting into trouble with McGonagall for him! Harry is sorting him out. " I whispered, grabbing a handful of her robes as she stormed out of the door.

With a deep breath, she returned into the compartment to lift her case from the luggage rack with some difficulty. Kerry was helping her with her case as Ellie, Sophia and I struggled out into the corridor as the train shuddered to a halt.

____Frank'.______

Finally, we felt the train slow and draw to a stop. I clambered off Gee's lap and made to tug his case off the rack when a voice from the door of the carriage made me jump three foot in the air…

"Iero, you owe me big time, friend!" Harry Potter's voice floated above the sounds of students leaving the train.

"What's happened this time?" Gerard questioned on my behalf, his arm looping around my waist. I gripped at his other hand; normally, when Harry decided to sort out any of my problems, it would otherwise have ended in my being severely battered and bruised.

"Only our favorite snake was bad mouthing you two again…" He answered dryly, subconsciously fingering his wand. "Calling Frank a pansy, that kind of thing." He added, with a sympathetic smile on his if not troubled, face.

"That MOTHER-F-" Gerard began, however, was cut of by the girls, once again, stopping at the compartment door.

"Nice, Ger. That's just what we thought about him. Anyway, if you six don't want to head back to London, I'd get off the train now, if I were you!" Bells laughed, waving in the direction of the remaining students filling past the doors.

We each agreed with her sentiment and began collecting our belongings that had been scattered across the compartment. That was until I realized that Kerry, the infamous blushing girl, was drumming with her wand against the door frame. Between Kerry's drumming and undeniable support of the Chudley Cannons, the relationship between her and Bob would work out perfectly.

Summer took the opportunity to shepherd her friends out of the carriage and off the train where they waited for Gerard, Mikey, Ray, Bob, Harry and I, along with Hermione, Ron and Ginny. Fred and George would join us later in the Great Hall for the feast.  
We separated into smaller groups; Sum, Gerard, Mikey and I in one carriage. Sum's friends in another. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny in the final carriage. Little did we know that Crabbe and Goyle had flagged down the next carriage for themselves and Draco.

______HARRY'_._._______

_  
I was fuming for Malfoy's earlier disrespect for my friend. He seemed not to understand that despite the fact that Frank and Gerard were different, they were not to be considered outcast! I must have wandered into my thought process in the middle of a conversation as Hermione waved her hand in front of my face, bringing me back to reality. _

"Harry, are you still with us?" She asked anxiously, waving a hand in front of my emerald eyes.

_  
I nodded indifferently and lay my head back against the wall of the carriage – I blanked out the conversation between Hermione, Ron and Ginny, revolving around the incident with Malfoy and how Frank and Gerard were coping._

_____Summer'.._____

Since we had climbed into the carriage, Kerry had not quit her complaining about Bob and my attempts at matchmaking. I was determined that, by the end of the school year – Kerry and Bob would be a couple. If I could not accomplish this through the normal channels then, I may have to resort to forcing a love potion down their throats… Okay, maybe that was going a little far. I put it down to spending so much time with Frank and Gerard over the summer. Frank had been threatening to slip Seamus a love potion on my behalf. So, yes, I had a slight thing for Seamus Finnegan, and now, Frank, Gerard and even Mikey knew!

"Stupid damn brother!" I grumbled aloud, causing every head in the carriage turned in my direction. I was saved the hassle of explaining my outburst by the carriage stopping outside the school doors.

\\ CARRIAGE 3 – DRACO&CONNIES //

Draco Malfoy sat opposite his Slytherin apes; Crabbe and Goyle. He ran a hand through his perfect, ice blond hair, cursing Harry Potter using every profanity in his extensive vocabulary. This was then followed by a string of curses as the carriage had bumped over a lump in the road.

"You can stop staring, too, Goyle! This is all the fault of the Gryffindor Pansy and his freak of a boyfriend!" He spat angrily in Goyle's direction. Continuing his rant, Malfoy now chose to begin the insulting of Frank's treasured sister; Summer Aimee Iero.

"Oh, and that scumbag's sister! She's almost as bad as her brother; you should see the way she acts around some of that Gryffindor slime! She'd be much better off with a Slytherin boy." He added, smoothing his hair as he clambered out of the carriage.

\\ INSIDE THE CASTLE //

Just inside the doors to the castle, the girls had met up with the others; Frank, Gerard, Mikey, Ray, Bob, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Fred and George.

"Come along, ladies; we'd best go and get a seat." Summer laughed, with a glance after another gaggle of Gryffindor boys… Seamus among them. She grabbed hold of her brother's arm and dragged him into the hall. This left Bob and Kerry alone.

_____BOB'.._____

Daring though it was, I had Frank's words ringing in my ears: "_don't be such an idiot. We ALL know she likes you… Do not let this pass you by!" _He had yelled at me, the sound was actually incredibly intimidating…  
As we walked alone towards the Ravenclaw table; I caught her hand in mine. I now realized, that Frank and Summer had been right all along. Looking across to Frank's table, I blushed as he gave me a brief thumbs up.

_____FRANK'.._____

I barely suppressed my giggle as I watched Bob and Kerry chatting merrily; their hands were laced together under the table. With a nod of happiness, I turned my attention back to my own table and noticed with a jolt of annoyance, Summer was staring dreamily down the table in Seamus' direction. She was so god-damn obvious…  
Our table quieted down when we noticed that Dumbledore had stood up, ready to make the special start of term announcement.

"This year," He began; now, it appeared was the time we were going to hear the special plans. . .

_____SUMMER'.._____

Now, I must tell you, my brother is the kind of wizard who is extremely protective of those whom he loves. This therefore meant that, he was giving me daggers – FOR LOOKING AT SEAMUS!! Is it any wonder people decided to avoid Frank and I when we argued? It was a nuclear blast of similarities. . . I received a sharp nudge to the ribs from Bella when Dumbledore had got to his podium in front of the staff tables.


	2. Plots

Now, as in Chapter One, I do not own Harry Potter, he and his world is the creation of the admirable JK Rowling, also, I don't own MCR. Okay? Now, please enjoy the much awaited Chapter Two - PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE. review :)

**CHAPTER TWO – **_**Plots**_

___DUMBELDORE'.___

I swept around the staff tables, my midnight blue robes swirling around me, fully aware of the hundreds of hopeful faces staring intently in my direction. I was particularly drawn to the faces of the Weasley Twins... They were not going to be happy about the next few minutes; I had a sixth sense for these things, especially when it came to the lovable troublemakers of the school.

"This year, ladies and Gentlemen. I believe that some of you may already have heard the following, so, please do allow your minds to wander..." I began, addressing the vast majority of the students. I now needed to phrase the next part of the announcement carefully.

"Now, if you have been reading the Daily Prophet over the summer, I'm sure you will have noticed that a significant event is taking place this year at our own dear school; The Triwizard Tournament!" I finished with a flourish, allowing the words to have the desired effect.

As predicted, the Weasley Twins had practically leapt from their seats, as had the Iero brother and sister, the Ways and even Mr. Cedric Diggory; though popular with staff and Hufflepuff students, Cedric was faced with adversity from the majority of the remaining students.... Not that I could see why!

"Now, I do, however, have one other announcement to make; there WILL BE restrictions in place to prevent those students beneath the age limit from competing..." Here, I allowed myself a moment to think back over the conversations I had had with the staff; when we had decided that, after the long meetings over the summer with Fudge – who in my personal was going slightly senile, and yet, people told me that I was losing my marbles, actually, I had already lost my marbles, when I was a child... They disappeared after a trip to France. You understand, of course that I have replaced said marbles. Anyway, Fudge and his cohorts had agreed that because of the nature of the Tournament, the entrants should only be aged seventeen or older.

"Only those students over the age of seventeen shall be able to put their name forward for the tournament." I added, scanning the room for the signs of indignant rebellion Minerva had foreseen. Of course, I could find masks of horror, faces shadowed by anger and then, the faces of the twins were identically upset... Well, I couldn't say I blamed them - they were well renowned for their blatant and hilarious rule-breaking and this would not only have been the perfect opportunity for them to break the rules by entering, it would be a time for the both to show the wizard world that they were more than a pair of tremendous jokers; they were exceptional wizards – in their own right.

____FRANK'.____

Any excitement had been neutralized by the final part of Dumbledore's announcement; only if we were seventeen or older could we compete in perhaps one of the greatest events in the Wizard world... Now, none of us had the chance to prove our worth... Or so I thought. I caught sight of Sum's eye; she looked as equally upset as myself, however, her eyes glimmered with the shadow of a 'cunning plan' she and her friends had concocted.

I settled back against Ger's arm to watch the new students get sorted into their houses. As I scanned the line, there was a girl there, taller than those around her, her face seemed permanently fixed into a sneer, reminding me dramatically of the Slytherin Snake himself – Draco Malfoy.

____'.____

It was humiliating having to stand with the children of the school to be 'sorted', I was of pure-blood lineage, and therefore there was only one place that the tattered old hat could possibly place me.

I stepped up to the stool as the terrifying woman called my name - "Tsar, Aurora Jasmine!"- Before I sat down on the spindly legged stool, I knew. the voice was whispering as it approached my hair, more a snigger than I had expected.

"Now, I see.... Pure blood." I heard coming neared to my ear, the moment the hat touched my hair, the decision was made; "SLYTHERIN!" The hat cried. I sauntered away from the stool and headed to my table. I caught many of the heads of Slytherin boys turning in my direction, followed by the whisperings and mutters of the rest of the school. Yes, I was no first year student – I was a fourth year and had been forced to move to Hogwarts by my family. We had been well respected members of the wizard community in our old home of Salem. Of course, I can guess that you think that there is no real witches in Salem; it's merely a story. But, rest assured, my friend, I am no story. My power and I are very, very real!  
Finally, I found an empty seat halfway along the bench – opposite the very epitome of gorgeousness; ice blond hair fell perfectly over sculpted features that came from generations of pure-blood. I gave my golden-brown hair a well practiced flick and smiled in his direction. My new life at Hogwarts was about to get interesting.

_____MALFOY'.______

The new Slytherin addition was causing some disruption among the students. Beside me Brooklyn stirred; disapproval radiated from her every pore.  
"Draco, what are you looking at?" She hissed, elbowing me between the ribs. I turned my back on the new arrival to face Brooklyn Rose Sanders – the most interesting creature I had ever met, for now...

My eyes continued to sweep the hall as the feast went on. Over at the Gryffindor table, Pansy Iero and the gothic Freak were embraced in plain sight of the whole school. I pushed my plate of half eaten food away, unsure of whether I could stomach it. Then, it hit me; I now had the perfect opportunity to break their entire group of muggle-loving friends – AND Saint Potter, Mudblood Granger and Weasel Bee... The senile old fool had supplied me with enough ammunition to get the whole lot of them in serious trouble. However, I was unsure if Brooklyn would be willing to give me the space to accomplish it.

____Frank'._____

After the feast we had gathered in a quieter corner of the Hall to discuss the opportunities that had been opened to us. The group seemed to buzz with electricity as we escaped the hall and made our way to the separate towers. There was one topic of conversation on everybody's lips, well, except Hermione's; the Triwizard Tournament. I needed to find out what had been on Summer's mind, which consequently meant that I had to get her mind away from Seamus.  
"So, come on Miss High and Mighty planner, what was the plan you and your friends have concocted?" I yelled at her randomly on our journey up to the common room. She was taken aback slightly, then, she dragged me back from the crowd of Gryffindors and began to explain in a hurried whisper what she, Sophia, Ellie and Bella had decided.

___Kerry's Point of View____

As Bob, Ray and I had prepared to leave the others and make our way to our own dormitory, Sum had grabbed at my hand.

"You three need to come up to the Gryffindor common room later, 'kay? Around midnight. We need to get the others on board with this." She muttered then hurried after her brother. Bob caught sight of our whispered conversation and shrugged his shoulders.

So, it seemed that Sum was intent on gaining her brother's acceptance for her plan. Although, we had to admit, that was a long shot indeed: Frank's protective nature was going to be difficult to overcome, although, with the promise of a lot of gold for the winner, he and the others may be convinced to join us in our efforts.

____Malfoy's Point of View____

Yes! I finally had the chance I needed to get them all and Brooklyn was fed up with my complaints and, had headed back to the common room without me. Therefore, after the feast, I hung back with Crabbe and Goyle the greedy pigs had decided to continue with their fourth helpings of dinner. When, after a further four helpings of the slop that had been served, the pigs followed me begrudgingly from the Hall. Instinctively, I headed straight for Professor Snape's dungeon study, knowing that he would be as eager as I for the news that I had to deliver.

I raised my fist to knock purposefully on the office door, when I discovered that my arm was pulled back, a hand gripping tightly to the arm of my robes. Obviously, Brooklyn had decided to follow us after the feast.

"Draco, love. What, in Salazar's name, do you think-" She began, casting a gloomy and scrutinizing eye over Crabbe and Goyle.

"I'm here to see Professor Snape." I explained shortly, shaking her hand off me. However, I had underestimated her persistence.

"So am I, Draco. I think I'll go before you, my need is, after all, greater than yours." She whispered, pulling a letter from an inside pocket of her robes.

I stepped aside and allowed her to knock once on the office door. I knew better than anyone that her need to see Snape was greater than any Slytherin student.


	3. You Know You're in Love With

**Chapter Three – **_**"You know you love your brother's boyfriend's brother when..." PART ONE**_

____Kerry's Point of View____

So, as per Sum's instruction, we had snuck from the Ravenclaw tower and headed in the direction of the Gryffindor portrait hole, as we approached, we found that the corridor was empty... Or so we thought. Ray was in front of us, keeping his determined eyes on the portrait hole, as if willing it to swing open. His wish however, was far from answered when, much to our surprise, a head of flame red hair appeared in mid-air, apparently disembodied; Summer had 'borrowed' Harry's beloved invisibility cloak for the occasion.

"You guys kept me waiting." She giggled quietly, trying to refrain from waking the Fat Lady, who was dozing gently in her frame an empty box of liquor filled chocolates at her feet, beckoning us forward "I've been here since we came back from the feast."

Since Sum's head appearing in front of us, Bob had neither moved, nor said a word; he remained staring at the point where she had appeared, apparently in shock. Ray took it upon himself to move his best friend.

"Come on, Bobbie, we need to get moving, otherwise we're going to get in trouble." Ray was terrified of getting into any kind of trouble, in the four years since we had started Hogwarts, never had Ray been in trouble with any teachers and that included Professor D.  
Summer threw the invisibility cloak over the three of us, leaving herself exposed – not that it mattered; as a Gryffindor, she had every right to be standing outside of her own portrait hole after hours, Bob, Ray and myself on the other hand should technically have been in our own tower, across the school.  
Obviously, the word had been spread to those of us who were determined to enter the Tournament; Frank, Gerard, Mikey, Sophia, Ellie, Bella, Harry, Ron and, the one person whom did not seem happy to be here; Hermione.  
The second we each took our seats, Summer took up her position in front of the small group, ready to begin, **Operation Lionheart**, (Cool name, right? That's what she had concocted in the Hall with Bella and Ellie.)

"So, ladies and gents, I'm sure you all know why we're here." She began bravely, the facade ruined by the fact she kept shooting glances at the foot of the stairs that led to the dormitories. This was soon nullified when Harry produced from his pocket, a worn sheet of parchment; the Marauder's Map. He touched his wand to the parchment and muttered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." The phrase worked instantly and the map of Hogwarts School spread across the page.

So, Summer continued. "Right, yes, anyway. We have all decided that we wish to enter the Triwizard Tournament this year. That includes us girls, Frank." She whispered triumphantly, her eyes blazing with a fire of passion for the daring and wild. Frank sat, on Gerard's lap, glaring at his sister, appalled at the very suggestion, Gerard's face wore a similar mask of horror, and oddly enough, so did Mikey.

"Before you carry on, Summer. Are you quite sure you-" Began Hermione, timidly, but, her sentence was never finished; the glare from Bella ended the sentence in her throat.

"Hermione, I am very sure about this. If you aren't so sure and you are willing to let your friends continue with this discussion without your help and guidance then, please, feel free to leave!" Sum murmured dangerously; I was not the only one who began to back away from the fiery red head.... Almost everyone had, and that included her brother. Hermione did not back down she stood her ground, almost nose-to-nose with Sum.

"I would rather die than not help my friends, but I do not wish to sentence them to death." Hermione stated, wrapping her arms around her knees as she took up her seat on the rug beside Harry's chair.

"Hermione, you're a brilliant witch; it's possible we mightn't be able to accomplish this without you. We need your brains." Grinned Frank in Hermione's direction, apparently pleased by the fact there was not going to be all out war in the common room thanks to his twin.

"As Summer was saying, we have each made the choice to enter the Triwizard Tournament. We have gathered here tonight to make a list of the things we need more information about..." Bella said loud enough to be heard by our small gathering.

"Indeed, so, what do you guys think?" Summer added, recovered from her meeting with Hermione. We were silent for a moment, each of us intent on thinking of something worthwhile to bring to the discussion.

_____Summer______

I watched my family and my friends each begin their contemplation of the task I had set for them. Emotions had evidently been running high this evening, and after my confrontation with Hermione, I too was seeing the situation in a very different light. My eyes roved around the group; firstly to Frank, my blood, my brother. Of course I loved him dearly, we were one. As twins, we shared the bond: our lives were entwined in ways more complex than the mere sharing of a surname or a birthday, It is difficult to explain. We were more than just brother and sister, the fact that we were twins had created something stronger; we seemed to know what the other was thinking, what the other wanted and even more annoyingly, we seemed to have some inclination as to where the other was, and given that when Frank was not at home, he was with Gerard, then it was kind of sickening to cope with the loved up atmosphere with the two of them around.  
My eyes next met with Gerard's golden eyes, he had been watching my stationary pose for several minutes, deep within his eyes, I was able to see the worry and pain that dwelt deep in his soul; a pain and worry not only for his beloved boyfriend, but his brother, too, and to a further extent, me. I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile and continued with my examination of the other people around me.  
At Gerard's side, Mikey sat. His demeanor was anxious and, when his eyes caught mine; he blushed scarlet and dropped his nervous gaze to the threadbare carpet beneath his feet. As suddenly as the scarlet had blazed in Mikey's cheeks, a new found emotion rose strongly in my chest; it was a curious mixture of sadness and anxiety. I could not be wholly sure of the feelings, however, I was confident that it could mean one of few things; either I had begun to feel sorry for Mikey, I had lost all confidence in his prodigious magical skill or, scarily enough, I had fallen head over heels in love with my brother's boyfriend's brother.  
Discreetly, I shook my head and spun on my heel, and drew my gaze to my small collection of friends; Bella, Ellie and Sophia. Since we had started Hogwarts, these three girls had been like family to me. Each of them I held dear to my heart. Bella and I were kindred spirits; we were more alike than people originally thought – at home, we shared the same taste in movies and music, whereas, in school, we were as good as each other in our lessons. The only difference being the lesson; my particular specialty was Charms; her's was in the field of Transfiguration. Quite ironic when one looks at the fact that she was a Gryffindor and the Head of our House, was the Transfiguration Professor. Ellie was the friend whom I knew that I could rely on for advice on anything, regardless of the topic. Finally, I faced Sophia. She was a complicated person to comprehend; she could at times be spiteful, selfish and downright arrogant. However, on her good day, Sophia was the sweetest person I had ever had the opportunity to meet.  
The others that had gathered around me, I was glad to see; Harry, Ron and now, Hermione, were three Gryffindors who were respected throughout the school. It was a relief to know that these three wizards were more than willing to aid us in our efforts to enter the Tournament.  
I soon came to the realisation that I had been stood motionless for over five minutes and had been staring at a piece of wall above Gerard's head for the vast majority of that time. It therefore came as no surprise that everyone gathered was staring intently at me, ready for the meeting to continue.

"Sum, I think it's a brilliant idea. But, I don't think you should enter." Frank said quietly, avoiding my eye. Surprisingly, I had been expecting this reaction from my brother. However, he wasn't the only one to speak up about unhappiness with the situation.

"Frankie, if you don't want Sum to compete, then, I say I don't want you enter." Came a timid voice. I turned to see Mikey staring at Frank angrily. Each one of us stopped to stare wonderingly at Mikey. Never before had he spoken to Frank in such a way. Gerard actually peered around Frank's back to get a good look at his younger brother.

When Mikey ultimately realised what he had said, his face flushed and he immediately began to amend what he had said. "What I mean is, if you were to enter and you got hurt, then Sum would be heartbroken. That's why I don't think you should enter. I don't you to get hurt, nor do I want to see your sister hurting." He explained. Frank seemed content with the explanation and, with a nod at me, I continued.

"Mikey, Frank; listen, it is, at the end of the day our own choice if we wish to enter this contest. I'm glad that you have voiced your opinion on the matter, any other wishes?" I began, my eyes sweeping the group quickly; I noted Bob's holds on Kerry tighten and Hermione's eyes dart to Ron and then Harry, yet neither of them said a word. I took this as a sign that because of the recent argument between us that she did not wish to disrupt the proceedings. "Has anyone got any ideas about what kind of thing we need to know more about?" I added, addressing the whole group.

Several of those around me raised their hands. Bella included. I nodded to her first, knowing at least her suggestion would be applicable.

Nervously, she stood, and began to speak. "I think that, an obvious place to start would be figure out how each of the Champions is chosen." She said simply, smartly sitting down once she had finished. Faces turned towards her, each of us impressed by her quick thinking.  
Next, I turned to the only other hand that was raised; Ray. "Now, isn't everyone thinking one thing, how are we supposed to get through the precautions that Dumbledore is setting up?" He sighed incredulously, sitting up a little straighter in his chair and staring around the dimly lit room as though this was already obvious. It was at this point that, Harry spoke for the first time.

"I think we have just the two people who could tell us about that." He chuckled, with a final glance at the Map. "Fred, George; the game's up. You better come and join us!"

At his words, Fred and George crept around the foot of the dormitory stairs, apparently having listened to every word of the debate. George took up a seat on one side of Ron; Fred on the other hand sat next to Harry, looking rebellious and to a certain extent, disgruntled. Neither of the Twins spoke for several minutes; mutinously, the stared into the fire, apparently contemplating a hasty escape through it. Finally, Harry cleared his throat, nudged Fred in the ribs, and at long last, he spoke.

"Fine; George and I are pretty good at doing things that aren't necessarily what this school sees –" He began with a glance at his Twin,

"What this school deems to be normal. Polite. Whatever. Pick one. Anyway, this means that we have become very good at making such things as… well, Age Potions. These are some of favourite things to make…" George smirked, joining Fred in front of the fire.

In the time both the Twins had been speaking, I had sunk down onto the moth eaten rug in front of Frank and Gerard, my head resting against Mikey's leg. As I made to stand up, I saw that Mikey's hand had moved swiftly back to his lap, as if he had been reaching out for the top of my head.

I thanked them both, before checking my watch and realizing that it had been two very long hours since we had started this meeting, and, given that three of our number was in Ravenclaw, it was dangerous for them to cover the distance back to their own tower.

"Now, Harry. You know I don't like asking you for this, but, they'll get into real trouble." I pleaded with Harry as we began the tidy-up of the common room. Harry grinned at me and disappeared up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. Moments later, he returned, the Invisibility Cloak stowed in his hands. I resisted the urge to hug him and hurried over to Bob, Kerry and Ray who had been waiting nervously by the portrait hole.

"See you at breakfast," I called after them as they disappeared. My attention was returned to my own needs when I became suddenly aware of how deathly tired the day had made me.

I caught Bella and Ellie by the elbows and headed up the staircase with a call of goodnight to the others.


	4. You Know You're in love with Part Two

**  
Okay, as with the other chapters, I do not own any of the Harry Potter world.... A..N, I would just like to point out that, I have put a small note on my profile that, if you haven't read as of yet, then, I think you should - If there are no reviews on this after this chapter, then, it will go on hiatus, INDEFINITELY. Thanks, enjoy xxx**

"**You know you're in love with your brother's boyfriend's brother, when…" PART TWO**

_____THE NEXT MORNING____

It took several minutes the next morning for me to be fully comprehend what had happened the night before. When, however, I remembered fully the impact the meeting last night had had, I found myself grinning moronically at Bella, Ellie and Sophia on our way down to breakfast. This in itself was a rare sight; something that Frank and Harry were keen to notice.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done to my moody and misery of a sister?" Frank gaped, punching my arm playfully.

"Watch it, Iero. I am still your delightfully sweet and adorable sister." I replied, dancing off out of the portrait hole; my arm linked with Harry and Sophia; Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Frank and the others were directly behind us.  
The Gryffindor table was already busy, full of fellow fourth years already contemplating the continuation of the lessons for the next term. Fred and George were sat either side of Lee Jordan, both mutinous expressions on their faces.  
I gave them a small wave as we moved up the table to try and find some free seats. Only George returned my wave; Fred was staring in the direction of the Slytherin table.  
No sooner had we taken our seats than Professor McGonagall had descended on the table and began moving along the table and started to sort the assortment of the year's timetables. She came to our small gathering and automatically handed each of us our new timetable; revealing that we had Charms first thing. I happily shoveled more toast onto my plate at the prospect of my favorite lesson. This behavior, was however, more particular of Hermione, so, I attempted to conceal my glee my throwing myself into conversation with Frank and Bella, one of whom was still confused by my oddly cheery nature.

"Sum, if you don't lose this cheerful side, I'll start thinking that there's something that you really aren't telling your big brother." Frank chuckled, a hand running unconsciously through his black mowhawk.

I did nothing other than pull tongues at him and continue with my breakfast in a more 'somber' manner, until Hermione arrived at our side and readied us for our first lesson. After the disaster of our first argument of last night, I felt that all had been forgiven between Hermione and myself; therefore, we skipped, strangely enough.  
By the time we had reached the Charms classroom, my cheeriness had abated ever so slightly and I was now worrying about thought that had materialized itself during the meeting the night before. A feeling regarding Mikey Way; the boy whom for the past three years, I had been like a sister to. Despite my reputation for being able to cope with almost anything, meant that I was forced, at least for a little while to contemplate this feeling and try and analyze what it meant. But, by the time Professor Flitwick had set us to work on the most difficult spell to master that we had ever encountered; the 'summoning charm', I had all but forgotten about my confused feelings.  
Stuck between Hermione and Frank, I felt less confident about my Charms abilities; one of them was forcing almost any object in the room zoom towards her, whilst my brother was constantly muttering under hiss breath about my cheerful mood and wondering aloud what was causing it.

"Franklin, if you don't shut up asking me, I will shove this wand somewhere where even Gerard can't get it back for you, okay, brother?" I hissed, muttering the charm 'accio' and pointing my wand at the pillows on which we were practicing; surprisingly, the pillow soared towards me and landed with a soft 'thump' on the table in front of me. Flitwick bobbed towards our table and smiled when he saw that after many attempts, I had finally overcome the difficulty level and succeeded.

"Well done, Miss Iero. I think you and Miss Granger should take five point a piece." He announced as the bell rang and signaled the end of the lesson. Frank clapped me on the back as we climbed to our feet and shoved our books and other educational stuff into our bags. It appeared that I had won the contest we had at the start of each term; who would gain the first points for the house. Together, we set off for the next lesson: Transfiguration. This short walk allowed me to think, once again about my worrying situation.

"Summer, you've got to admit it, at least to me; you think you're in love with Mikey." Giggled Bella, having deliberately dragging me away from the others. I stopped dead in my tracks; ignoring the grumblings of the large seventh year Slytherins who were pushing past me. I had eyes for only the most perceptive of any of my friends.

"Isabella Marie Thyme, you have to be the most amazing person I have ever me." I grinned, throwing my arms around her; finally, I understood the feelings that had confused my mind all night and morning.

Our display of emotion was not appreciated by those passing by us in the corridor – Slytherins in particular.

"Oh, you piece of filth; get a room." Hissed a particularly small fifth year. I turned to face him and gave him my best, sickly sweet grin and answered, "Well, I'll get a room when you and the rest of you scumbags get a life and leave me and mine alone!"

Frank, Gerard, Mikey, Bella and, well the rest, stared after me as I stalked into the classroom first and took up a seat between Bella and Sophia at the back of the room. We settled into the lesson as McGonagall swept into the room, her eyes harsh and piercing beneath the lenses of her glasses. Almost immediately, she launched into a speech regarding the OWLs, which to our horror, we would begin the preparation for... this year. Great.


	5. Revelations

**Chapter Four – **_**Revelations**_

____Aurora-Jasmine____

The message our old codger of a Headmaster had delivered had sent a ripple of excitement across the Slytherin table; the sloth like boy beside me positively shivered with anticipation.  
The model of absolute perfection who was seated opposite me kept shooting furtive glances at the table on the far side of the Hall, where those students wore the colors red and gold; these, therefore must be, Gryffindor… My parents had both pre-warned me of the common misconception that all of those students who ended up being sorted in either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor were the most intelligent students ever to have graced the passages of the school. I discovered that this piece of pure-blooded perfection was staring at the obviously openly-gay couple.

As soon as the final word was spoken each of the tables was ready to leave the cavernous Great Hall. Strangely enough, the boy whose name I took to be Draco, from what his 'girlfriend' had hissed at him, remained at the table when the rest of us were dismissed, looking thoroughly depressed to be flanked by two ape-like creatures, both shoveling further helpings of the mediocre food into their mouths.

I followed slightly behind the eager eyed first years, some of whom barely reached by waist, towards the dungeons. The dismal walls did nothing to improve my failing excitement; it transpired that for my remaining three years at this Castle, I was to sleep below the surface level, underneath the surface of the Great Lake.  
This opinion soon changed when the Prefect at the head of the group whispered the password to the Portrait at the end of the corridor and we were free to enter the candlelit chamber; its high arched ceiling was spotted with great green chandeliers hanging low over an assortment over chairs and tables around the grand fireplace. The room gave the impression that it belonged to a gothic queen or princess. Oh, how right that impression would be by the time we came to the end of this year.

I followed a group of girls and boys whom I had overheard discussing the fourth year of Hogwarts; Draco's 'girlfriend' included. The staircase spiraled up to the dormitories, where I found that my trunk and my belongings had already been placed at the foot of my bed.

_____THE NEXT MORNING// BROOKLYN_____

Not that I had been overly happy since Draco had been staring at the newest arrival at the Slytherin table, however, my visit to the Snape's office had been more productive and managed, in a very, very strange way, made me smile.  
Barely had Malfoy scuttled away from the dungeon corridor than I had knocked once on the door and forced it open.

"Good evening, Brooklyn." Snape said curtly, nodding me into the chair opposite his desk. I sat, albeit begrudgingly. "I was under the impression that the students had been dismissed and were being sent to the common room." He added curiously. I shrugged; the matter at hand required the more personal touch.

"Father told me that he wanted me to speak to you; in person." I nearly growled, throwing a heavy letter down onto the desk.

"I thought you would have remembered by now, that, although I am your... God father," he forced the phrase past his lips like a curse, "You could merely have sent this letter via your owl, Lestat. I'm sure he would have found me..." He answered shortly, having heard my repressed growl.

All too soon I was nodded from the office. Thankfully, the meeting hadn't lasted all that long and there remained a number of students milling through the corridors towards their own dormitories. I followed a group of green and black clad students towards the dungeons.  
I muttered the password to the concealed entrance and hurried through the hole that appeared and into the common room. The first year students were still milling about the room, examining the decorations, some of their faces mirrored my own reaction to the expanse of the common room upon first time viewing; however, there was one of the new students whom seemed more dismissive than impressed – she was the girl of the 'first years' that Draco had been staring distractedly at through the entire feast. I glared at her as I swept up the staircase to the dormitory.

Several other of my fellow fourth years, Pansy Parkinson included, had already arrived and were unpacking and readying themselves for bed. I too was settling back into the comfort of Hogwarts when, the girl who had already placed herself in my bad books, strolled through the door and took a seat on the bed beside mine.

"Hi, ladies. My name's Aurora Jasmine." She grinned, extending her hand to each of us in turn. I looked once at it and turned away from her, determined not to become friends so soon with a girl who was under the impression that she could flirt with Draco and successfully get away with it.

"Hello, Aurora." I said simply, keeping my head buried in my trunk. I was not willing to share any unneeded airspace with this... new Slytherin. I was of the impression, that to be a true SLYTHERIN, one must have been sorted into the house from our first year. Anyway, I tugged the hangings of my bed shut and collapsed on the bed, ignoring the mutterings behind the curtain.

By the morning, I found that Aurora and the others had only just left the dormitory and were in the common room. Draco was sat, lounging on one of the faded velvet sofas with Crabbe, Goyle and, with a twinge of annoyance, I noted that the new brunette was perched on the edge of the sofa, watching Draco intently.

"Morning, Brooklyn, sweetheart." Draco greeted me, cheerily, giving me a swift kiss on the cheek. I smiled sweetly and returned the peck to his cheek.

Together, Draco and I made our way down to the Great Hall for some breakfast. I noticed that, despite the fact that I was wrapped so closely around Draco, Aurora was still eying us with a mingled curiosity and misery. Finally, I decided that the time had come for me to use the fact that Snape was my god-father to my advantage.  
I slipped away from the table and headed in the direction of Snape's office, however, half way to the office, I quickly changed direction, realizing that the best place for me to find what I needed was in the Potions room...

Once inside, I made for the desk behind which Snape usually dictated instructions. The drawer I needed was predictably locked, and therefore I drew my wand and muttered, "Alohamora", the drawer flew open, and there, hidden beneath a mass of spare parchment and quills, lay the inoffensive glass bottle. Gleefully, I thrust the bottle into my pocket and returned to the Hall for a very quick breakfast. I decided that the bottle should be administered during dinner that evening; the hall was much livelier and louder.

____LATER THAT DAY: DINNER TIME____

All through the day, I had noted that Aurora kept a short distance from Draco and myself, and yet, he made no effort to rid us of her presence. As I slipped my arm around his neck to pull Draco into an embrace, I discretely poured several drops of the potion into the pumpkin juice that sat in front of Draco.  
Gently, he touched his lips to my cheek, and then drained what was left in his goblet in one. I watched his facial expression closely as he took in his surroundings, particularly the Gryffindor table and Aurora who sat opposite me.

"Sweetheart, aren't you going to eat something?" I asked gently, shoveling a slice of cottage pie onto his plate.

"I don't want anything, Brooklyn. Leave me alone." He hissed, climbing to his feet and disappearing off in the direction of the table across the hall. I watched with a wary eye and listened with a keen ear to hear the true thoughts regarding the Pansy couple and THE girl.

_______SUMMMER_______

The first day, having started on a low note, had picked up greatly through the day. By the time we had reached our final period Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with new teacher, crazed ex-Auror, Mad Eye Moody, Frank had given up trying to discover what was the matter with me, and consequentially, spent our evening meal chatting away merrily with Harry and Ron and Mikey about Quidditch and other such boyish things. Well, that was until Ellie noticed that the Snake had slithered up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, his face set and determined.

"Frankie, Gee; look who it is..." I hissed, tugging on the sleeve of Frank's robes.

Both Frank and Gerard turned to face the figure approaching us, his pace steady and focused. Beneath the table, my hand rested lightly on my wand, ready, at a moment's notice to curse the scumbag into a thousand pieces if he insulted any of us.

"Good evening, guys!" He greeted cheerily, raising a hand in salute-like welcome,

"What do you want, Snake?" Harry hissed into his plate, having been restrained by a reproving Hermione look.

Malfoy looked unabashed as he ploughed on through what he had to say, "I came, Harry, to speak to Summer." He smiled, not sneered, and yes, it was a genuine smile

"Slither, if you want to talk to Sum, you talk to all of us," Interjected Frank, his own wand, not so subtly pointing directly at Draco. Obviously, he was still ruffled by the insult Malfoy had delivered regarding he and Gerard.

Draco nodded once and his eyes sought me. Dark gray finding hazel. Something in the depths of the gray pair was different; there was a true glimmer of innocence and purity. I nodded once at Draco for him to begin.

"Well, I thought that I'd come and tell you that, despite the fact that I know well shall never see eye to eye, I find you such an interesting and beautiful person. You amaze me, each day; I'm blown away by your loyalty to your brother and your dedication to be the best friend you can be." The words came out as an incomprehensible mess, the only discernible words to my ear, being 'interesting' and 'beautiful'.

I held up my hand to prevent him from continuing; Bella had muttered into my ear during his speech something that I thought he would find of interest. Obviously, Brooklyn Sanders was not too happy with the choice of company that Draco had decided to keep for the time he was away from her and his fellow Slytherins. Brooklyn sat on the far side of the Slytherin table, her eyes fixed on her partner, so readily spilling his true feelings to us.

It appeared however, that Draco had not finished with us yet, he next turned to Frank and Gerard, a similar mask of confusion and doubt....

"Frank, I'm sorry. I cannot say it more clearly than that. I know that I have been awful to you and Gerard, but, honestly, I see nothing wrong with the way in which you two go about your lives." He concluded simply, turning on his heel and marching back towards his own table, however, maneuvering with determination so as to take up the seat beside the newest fourth year who had been in our first potions lesson of the term.

_____AURORA-JASMINE_____

Across the dinner table from me, Brooklyn was staring daggers in 'Draco's direction. It became clear why, when, she shifted her position slightly and momentarily flashed the tiny glass bottle that was still hidden in her palm. I had enough knowledge of the wider magical world to be aware of a truth potion so strong that it would need only three drops for anyone to spill their darkest secrets to any question asked. This potion was called _**Vertiteserum**_ – predominantly, it had been used by the wizarding authorities in my old home to trace either under-age or dark magic.  
The most memorable time I had seen the effects of this potion was when the local authorities had gained information that my younger sister, Tempest Ariel, had been performing in public for the local muggle children. You understand, of course that Tempest had been doing no such things, and yet, the authorities appeared at our home and, not even attempting to hide what they planned, forced the potion down her throat, therefore forcing Tempest to tell the truth. Horrifically, it seemed that answers came to her lips with no hesitation. Even for a person as well grounded as I, the sight of my sister subjected to such treatment was quite enough the batter me emotionally. It was because of this incident that our parents had agreed the move to the United Kingdom.  
Anyway I gazed across the hall to where the Gryffindors sat, raking my eyes along the rows of students, searching for any whom seemed interesting. I soon stumbled across what, or more precisely who, I was looking for. Two identical twins with flame red hair. Something about the more extroverted twin appealed to me. He laughed merrily with his brother and the person whom I took to be their best friend.  
My attention soon turned to another figure, a figure that seemed out of place in his surroundings. Draco Malfoy, surrounded by Gryffindors, yet, despite the fact his face seemed perfectly at ease, the rest of his body language betrayed the fact that he was more than nervous to be in such close proximity to a boy with which he shared a mutual animosity.  
Draco returned to the Slytherin table, but, instead of joining Brooklyn across the table from me, he sidled along the bench to my side. I stared; a fork of food suspended in front of my mouth as I watched the model of perfection slump himself into his seat and begin to eat.

"I'm Draco Malfoy, by the way, Aurora." Draco smiled through mouthfuls. I didn't care how he knew my name; all I cared about was the fact that he acknowledged my existence in a more friendly way than he had left his girlfriend's side.

____Brooklyn____

It seemed as though my plan to use the Vertiteserum on Draco to find out what his true feelings were had backfired on me. Not only did he feel comfortable at the Gryffindor table, he, upon returning to our table, sat alongside Aurora… Furious did not even begin to describe my mood. Betrayed was a more accurate description.  
Across the table, Draco and Aurora seemed to be enjoying a very interesting conversation. Both their plates of food lay forgotten. I grumbled into my plate, suddenly more aware of those students sitting either side of me; Warrington, a large sloth-like sixth year, and, on my other side, in Draco's vacated seat, Blaise Zabini. Zabini was one of Draco's lesser known cronies, yet, he was also one of my good friends.

"Brook, I know you." Blaise sighed, turning in his seat to face me. "What's wrong with you and Draco?" He hissed, keeping a wary eye out for either Draco listening or one of the specters of the school, namely Peeves.

"Have you seen her?" I groaned, waving my wand in Aurora's direction. Blaise caught my wrist quickly as I had unwittingly caused a drift of snow to start falling.

"Yes, Brook. I've seen her." He said simply, placing our linked hands on the table softly. "But, honestly, I can't see why Draco would rather spend time with her, than with you." He added cheekily.

"Thanks, Blaise. That's sweet." I simpered, my cheeks glowing a slight pink.

I noticed that across the table, Draco had stopped mid-flow in his conversation with Aurora to stare at Blaise and I. With a barely concealed smirk, I continued with my own conversation. Maybe, just maybe, there was some good that could come from this situation.

____Mikey____

The confrontation with Malfoy had been far from comfortable to watch and listen to. It was easy to see why Frank had been so defensive of Malfoy talking to his sister; the last time that Draco and Summer had had a conversation, the outcome had not been pretty, both having been forced to complete a detention; Summer in Snape's office, Malfoy emptying the cages in the Transfiguration Classroom with McGonagall; the term's project had involved mice. Anyway, let's just say, none of us wanted to witness that mess again. Seeing as Malfoy had a reputation of being more knowledgeable with his jinxes and hexes than he cared to let on. Do you remember the Dueling Club incident; 'Serpensortia'.

I watched his approach with bated breath, my hand on my own wand that lay nestled in my pocket, ready to curse the scumbag for, well, even insulting Sum. Unfortunately, I needn't have worried about this insulting. He was polite. Too polite for him; something was wrong. Funnily, I was not the only one to notice his change in attitude, Summer had too. She seemed wary of making eye contact with the Snake as he spoke of her features that I myself had long since admired and adored. Silently, my heart broke. The girl that I had loved for four long years was having attention thrust upon her by an unworthy soul. Not only could Draco Malfoy not understand this beautiful woman, he didn't know her like I knew her; I had lived side by side with her since Frank and Gerard had begun their relationship; I was practically a brother to her, yet, I loved her more than a brother should. She was perfection… Not only was she a gifted witch, she was beautiful, funny and, when we weren't trapped in the castle, a magnificent Quidditch player.  
After Malfoy had slithered back to his own table, Frank watched my expression curiously.

"What's wrong, Mikes?" He questioned, shaking Gerard's arm off his gently. Gee took the hint and begun a conversation with Summer and Bella.

"Nothing's wrong with me, Iero." I grumbled, poking at my food angrily, "Nothing at all."

Strangely enough, Frank wasn't convinced. He shook his head disbelievingly. "I have practically lived with you and Ger for however long now, Mikey." He chuckled, "I know you better than that, I know what's wrong. You love her don't you?" He added, nodding in Sum's direction.

"How do you do that, Frank?" I wondered, "Yes, Frankie… I love your sister, more than anything in the world. She's the most amazing person I've ever met." I sighed, feeling my cheeks burn.

Frank clapped me on the back and joined in Gerard's conversation therefore leaving me with the revelation that I loved Summer more than I had ever previously known buzzing around my head.


	6. Unfounded Revenge

**Chapter Five – **__

**Unfounded Revenge**

_Summer_  
_**  
**_At the Gryffindor table the next morning, the atmosphere was tense. Why, I wasn't altogether sure… Our evening meal yesterday had of course been an interesting experience. Yet, since the run in with Malfoy, I'd barely spoken to Mikey. He would try and start a conversation, only to have his voice die in his throat. The most annoying thing about this was that Frank would giggle each time he caught sight our attempts at conversation.

"If you don't stop giggling, Frank, I will make sure that you're singing an octave higher by the weekend." I hissed across the common room. It was a habit of my brother's to occasionally break into song at inappropriate times.

"Sorry, Sum. I can't help it; I'm glad to be back here." He answered cheerily.

So, when we reached the Great Hall for breakfast; I was stuck between Bella and a silent Mikey. Frank once again was to blame. He chuckled as he slid himself into a seat between Gerard and Ron the latter grumbling under his breath about some argument that he and Harry had had the night before.

Mikey sat for the duration of breakfast poking at a piece of toast with his fork. Misery etched into his face. I took one look at his morose visage and realized heavily that, there was little I could do to have changed his mood.

Each of us eventually gave up on breakfast and headed down in the direction of Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures. Unfortunately, as we crossed the Great Hall; we came across the Slytherin Snake, whose announcement the night before was still causing me much mental distress, and his familiar group of cohorts. I had momentarily forgotten that we shared these lessons with the Slytherins. Therefore was disappointed when I checked my timetable to find that this fact was indeed still true.

Malfoy's face was set once again into his usual sneer. Obviously, he was as keen as I was to forget all that had been said the night before. The only one surrounding Malfoy who did not look 'happy', well, okay, happy wasn't the right word. I should have said normal, was his sometime girlfriend; Brooklyn. Her face was a mask of hatred; apparently, she too was not so happy with the events of the night before.

We passed by the group of scowlers, without any of them saying a word. Something that in itself I was slightly confused by; seeing as at any other opportunity, at least one of the Slytherin Snakes would have yelled an insult at Frank and Gee. They were on their way past us when Malfoy turned on his heel and aimed a smirk in our direction. Obviously, the effects of what I had presumed to be _**veritaserum. **_We followed at a distance behind them. Harry as shocked as we were at the civility with which we had been treated by the snakes.

We followed the Slytherins down the sloping lawns, so as to keep an eye out for anything else that was out of the ordinary. One other such occurrence was to be observed, not within our consortium, it occurred instead in the ranks of Slytherins in front of us.

I could see from a distance, the glimmer that was Malfoy amongst the throng of Slytherin girls. One of which was Aurora Jasmine (Harry had told me her name, seeing as my attention had been distracting during the sorting,) it was unsurprising to see that Brooklyn was on the other side of Malfoy, her usually impassive face was shooting glances at Aurora – if looks could kill, Jeez. I'd have been a witness to a murder many, many times in a short space of time.

Anyway, despite the fact that Draco Malfoy's hareem of girls seemed intent on destroying him, his soul and each other, we continued on the way to Care of Magical Creatures, Frank at my side, along with Gerard. The pair held hands as they walked, now, so obvious that they did not care what the likes of Malfoy thought of their relationship.

We arrived at Hagrid's; however, he was not alone. In front of his cabin, a selection of large crates stood. As we neared, Frankie bravely dared to take a look in one such crate, only to withdraw immediately and hide behind me.

"Come on now, Frank – they aren't that scary!" Hagrid chided with a deep chuckle.

Frank pouted and reappeared from behind me. "What exactly, are they?" he asked, peering over the edge again.

"They're Blast-Ended-Skrewts." It was Hermione who replied, her voice worried. "Those are _**supposed**_ to be illegal to trade in Great Britain, Hagrid!" She warned.

Hagrid cleared his throat and smiled shyly through his bushy beard and Hermione let the argument go, at least for the time being.

The Slytherins also arrived, Draco's expression now furious as he strode forward, leaving Brooklyn and Aurora behind him.

"And, what the hell are these things?" He spat at Hagrid, his manner of speech almost a polar opposite to the previous night's delicate whisper when he had… Yes… Well, the less said about that, the better.

"They're Blast-Ended-Skrewts." Hagrid answered, raising himself to his full height and sighing indignantly. "I'll remind you once, Malfoy – I am your teacher!"

Malfoy crumbled under the intimidation that came with Hagrid's size.

I stifled my chuckle in Frank's shoulder and tried as best as I could to pay attention as Hagrid began to outline the plan for the term with these… creatures.

The lesson was one of Hagrid's more interestingly planned, but, nothing could distract from the fact that the Skrewts looked like shell less lobsters and then, couple this with Hagrid's plan to have us tend for our own Skrewt as a 'project' over the term was far from cheerful.

We heard the bell signal the end of the lesson echo out over the grounds and we set back off towards the castle. I had my arm linked with Bella and Frank's as we walked behind the Slytherins.

Soon, all Hell erupted. While I had predicted that Brooklyn would turn her wand on newbie, Aurora, I was not ready for what happened. Brooklyn had been arguing with Draco for most of the lesson; apparently, she was not going to forgive him for anything that had happened the previous night.

She spun where she stood, her wand withdrawn and pointing directly at me – before I could think about my own wand, I had seen her lips move and the hex was cast. The jet of light shot from her wand and hit me square in the stomach.

I heard the yell from those around me – Frank's yell of anger rent the air in two as he scrambled to find his own wand.

"Expelliarmus!" I heard the scream as I gripped at Frank to climb to my feet. I looked around and found the source of the spell.

"Mikes?" I groaned, clutching my stomach and staring at my best friend. "Why, dude?"

"That wasn't fair; it wasn't like you did anything." He answered, linking his arm through mine on my other side; his voice was deadly as he glared at Brooklyn.

"We need to get you up the Hospital Wing." Frank sighed, keeping his hand in mine as Mikey guided me up the sloping lawns to the Caste.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Bella, Sophia, Kerry, Bob, Ray and in particular, Gerard were walking around me as a silent troop of protectors; each had their wand out, ready to protect, if needs be.

We traipsed through the main halls of the castle, following as the trio led us through the secret passages: they, better than any of us, knew the passages of Hogwarts Castle.

"Who's going to tell Moody where I am, guys?" I asked suddenly, remembering the fact that we were supposed to be in Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"I'll tell him, Sum – don't worry!" Harry promised, turning from our path suddenly.

"You just need to go up to the Wing and get better and we'll tell Moody where you are." Hermione and Ron added.

"Thank you, guys." I sighed, reaching an arm for Hermione and pulling her into a hug. She patted the back of my head softly.

We split into smaller groups and one half of us continued on to our next class, while Frank, Gerard, Mikey and I carried on the route to the Hospital Wing.

"Look, boys; you know I'm glad you're here," I groaned, patting Frank's arm. "But, we can't all miss DADA."

Frank stared at me and pouted – "Come on, sis, that's not the best idea,"

"No, it's not." I agreed. "But, if you don't go, then Moody is going to get suspicious."

Gerard nodded his understanding: mainly, he knew that I would not have appreciated them fussing over me and would rather that they were learning something, rather than the state of my health.

After a whispered argument outside the doors to the hospital wing, the boys finally agreed to leave me alone in the wing. It was vital that I could spend some time alone, mainly with my thoughts; I had many things to analyze: in particular the events with Malfoy.

Having been to the hospital wing several times in my previous three years at Hogwarts, Madame Pomfery was not surprised when I pushed open the doors to the wing.

"What is it this time, Miss Iero?" She sighed, skirting down to my side and looking me up and down.

"I got into a spot of trouble with a Slytherin." I sighed, following her to one of the beds and hopping up onto it.

"A male or female Slytherin?"

I took my time to reply, mainly because I did not want to say who had hexed me, but, I also didn't want to lie.

"A little from column A, a little column B." I shrugged.

She clicked her tongue and continued to mix a potion at my bedside. I recognized it as a Wiggenweld potion. She handed it me and encouraged me to drink.

"You need to stay here for an hour or so, just so that I can check your condition." She told me reprovingly.

I agreed and shuffled further onto the bed. The pain in my stomach had subsided a little – enough that I could move without experiencing a relapse in the pain.

No sooner had I settled against the pillows and slipped into thought when I heard Madame Pomfery muttering to someone. This someone appeared at the foot of my bed, and, in my addled state, I wasn't sure if I was really seeing them.

The Hospital Wing was lit by candles and in this dim glow and the afternoon sun that penetrated the high arched windows, Draco Malfoy appeared to be smiling, albeit, nervously.

"You're not looking so good." He said quietly.

"Are you out of your mind, Draco?" I hissed, pushing myself up onto my pillows. "Your girlfriend cursed me; I'm not exactly going to be doing my best am I?"

"Ex-girlfriend." He sighed, "And, I didn't expect you to be doing really well, I just thought, seeing as how you're normally such a strong person, that you'd be better than this."

I clicked my tongue and reached for my wand. Only to realize that it was out of reach.

"Look, Draco – I've been hexed, cursed, whatever." I said. "This is not the time for you to be here, I know after last night that you may think that you and I have something going on, but, I don't think so; you and I are too different: for three years you have openly bullied my brother and his boyfriend – that is one thing that I can never forgive you for!"

My words seemed to inflict physical pain. "I am sorry for how I treated Frank and Gerard – I don't know what else that I can do!"

I scoffed. "One thing; you _**could**_ try and apologize to Frankie, rather than me."

Comprehension dawned on Draco – I could see that my words had made a lot of sense.

"You think that would make things okay?"

I tried not to laugh at the stupidity of the idea. Did he honestly think that only apologizing to Frank and Gee would be enough to make things 'okay'? Of course it wouldn't – Malfoy had put them through so much over the past three years that it would take more than that to appease my brother, never mind his outrageously protective boyfriend…

"It might try and ease the situation a little bit." I told him – he could tell that I had not told him everything.

So, he pulled up the chair at the side of the bed. "Look, I don't know what to say to you: I did not tell Brook to curse you, she's just under the impression that, after I told you everything last night that it's your fault that she and I aren't together anymore."

"Come on, Draco – we both know that you and Brooklyn weren't going to last; your eyes do tend to wander to any new student that arrives at this school: case and point, Aurora." I said smugly.

He raised his hands in defeat, and sighed. "I am sorry, you know." He said finally.

"I know, Malfoy; I'm not blaming you for me being here, but, I also need you to know that nothing can come from this; I love somebody else." I replied, thinking back to Bella's brilliant piece of observation. **I did love my brother's boyfriend's brother; I now only needed to tell him such.**


	7. Operation Lionheart

**"Operation Lionheart"**

After the incident with Draco, Frank had not pushed the subject and allowed me to try and forget what was said and what happened: the situation with Mikey meanwhile, well, that was becoming more difficult.

I still had not found the right time to tell him about how I felt and yet, he remained as distant as he had since the night when Draco had… I had tried to talk to him as if nothing had happened, only to have a reply of the most basic form, which was frustrating – seeing as how he and I, since Frank and Gerard had started their relationship, had been as close as brother and sister.

Bella and Sophia had noticed the problems that Mikey and I were having and were intent on addressing them on the next trip to Hogsmeade, I however had more pressing matters. I had hoped that on said trip, we as a group would be able to put together the skeletal bones of our Triwizard Plan – Operation Lionheart.

Fred and George had been piecing plans for aging potions together, while, night after night, Ray, Bob and Kerry were researching, as best as possible the whole Tournament; including how the Champions were chosen and the manner of the tasks.

It was to be, however, that, while Fred had been helping his twin, he had somehow found more time to cause havoc – for the most part, helping an already over active Peeves to cause more hell: this therefore meant that he was to be spending the trip stuck in the Castle on detention; on Professor Dumbledore's orders, for once.

So, we agreed to meet in the Three Broomsticks, hoping that the packed building would give us the cover that we needed so that we would not be discovered: Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived first and got a selection of tables for us all.

Frank, Gerard, Mikey, Bella, Ellie, Sophia and I arrived next. While our Ravenclaw counterparts brought up the rear: Bob and Kerry closely intertwined around one another so as to avoid getting lost… At least, that's the story that they were telling everyone, when we all knew the real reason, I personally found it rather fruitless.

Anyway, we were gathered around the tables and the eyes of our gathering turned to me…. Ah, right: of course, I should have expected that they would… it was my plan of action, so, it would seem fitting.

"So, thank you for coming." I began bravely. "You, of course know the reason for this meeting – today, we are to start piecing **Operation Lionheart** together."

I faltered and looked around the gathering for someone who could outline what I meant.

"I think what my sister is trying to say, is that we need to hear how your research has been coming along." Frank told the group, nudging me in the ribs as he spoke.

"Thanks, Iero!" I hissed under my breath. His face was 'outraged' for a second and then he pulled his tongue out at me.

Those who had been researching the tournament pulled sheets of parchment from their bags and began assembling in front of the rest of us.

George seemed at a loss as, without his twin at his side – yet, he stood first and coughed to get the group's attention.

"Okay, Fred and I have been doing a little research and we've found the perfect Aging Potion. It will add just enough to your age to fool Dumbledore's precautions, but, it won't enough to be noticeable." He finished with a flourish and hurried back to his seat.

"Thanks, George." I said gratefully, turning my attention to our next group - the Ravenclaw intellectuals who had been researching how the Champions were chosen.

Finally, we had put everything that had so far been collected, together. In the short space of time we had been working on the Tournament, we had collected quite a lot of information, including the fact that the champions were chosen using something, ominously, 'the Goblet of Fire'.

We congratulated ourselves on what we had discovered and began the slow and, what felt like endless, trudge back up to the castle.

|| BACK AT THE CASTLE: AURORA-JASMINE ||

I was stuck in detention because that old bat of a so called 'Professor' who taught Transfiguration… She had accused me of not listening during her lesson. What she didn't seem to understand was that I had already sat through this lesson back at home, therefore meaning that I knew what she was saying. It wasn't that I was ignoring her, far from it! But, the second my punishment had been declared, I could not argue: she had taken the case to the highest possible authority – the Headmaster.

Now, I sat at one desk in an abandoned classroom, my wand had been taken from me on entry, on the head's orders… Therefore, I was sat at this desk, staring around the dismal room – the only other piece of furniture was a second desk and chair, pair… I wondered vaguely who was to fill that seat.

No sooner had that thought condensed itself in my mind, did the door to the room swing open and another person was shoved roughly inside.

He muttered a string of profanities and curses to the dusty floor, before spinning on his heel and startling as he saw me.

"Who the Hell are you?" He spat, eying my uniform with distaste. I followed his gaze down and saw the green and silver of my tie glimmering.

"For God's sake: my name's Aurora: I am considerably more than a damn House in this school." I said quite calmly. "Look, if Dumbledore has his way, we're likely to be in here for the next however long, so, I think you should rethink that introduction, don't you?" I warned carefully.

My red-headed companion seemed to think over my words very carefully, until, eventually, he reached a hand across the open void between us. "I'm Fred, Fred Weasly." He waited, almost as if he expected me to laugh. I did no such thing.

I shook his hand. "Good to meet you, Fred: like I said, I'm Aurora Tsar."

His expression relaxed and quite suddenly, I remembered his face from across the Great hall: him, sat alongside his twin and their best friend.

I searched in the pockets of my robes and brought out a set of muggle playing cards. "Can you play at all?"

|| SUMMER ||

We had returned from Hogsmeade in high spirits and thankfully, Frankie had stopped his incessant singing. Maybe my warning had worked… Or maybe he was just fed up of singing which, knowing my brother was unlikely.

He and I sat at a table in the common room, trying to make a start on an essay for Snape and, given that Hermione had gone to bed, we were stumped. So, I shoved my notes back into my bag and kept from launching it across the still crowded common room and into the fire.

I crossed my arms on the table and rested my head against them, staring across at the fire and mulling over my thoughts…

"What's the matter, Sum?" He asked quietly, leaning down next to me and blocked my view of the blazing fire.

"Your face." I grumbled quietly.

"I'm being serious: you're not yourself tonight – what's wrong?" He persisted, turning my chair so that I faced him fully.

"You aren't usually this persistent, big brother: what's the catch?"

His cheeks tinted pink and I took a stab at what was behind this. "If this is because you're worried about me, Frank: I don't need you to worry about me – I can handle myself." I told him, forcing my voice to sound bright and cheerful, while inside, I was cheering that he had finally noticed that there was something wrong with me.

"It's not that, baby girl: I know something that might make you feel better." He smiled playfully as he nudged me in the ribs.

"Cough up what you know, Iero: or I will hurt you." I sighed.

He continued to smile playfully and wrapped and arm around me as he whispered into my ear what he knew. "Mikey absolutely adores you: he loves you, Sum."

"If you're doing this for some kind of sick joke, Frank, I swear you will be in pain."

"This is not something that I am likely to joke about. He's my best friend." He said acutely. "He loves you and, as much as you are going to try and deny it – you love him too."

He left me, with a pat on the back to join Gerard in one of the comfortable chairs by the fireside. I watched them curl around one another and felt myself smile: it was nice to see that he was no longer afraid to be himself in front of our fellow students, particularly since Malfoy's public apology. Frank's parting words had given me a lot to think about.

I pulled my feet up and hugged them, deep in thought. I had barely scratched the surface of my dilemma when I noticed the small group of boys who had fallen through the portrait hole.

Seamus smiled at me as he and the others, (Neville and Dean,) strolled on the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory. **Ahh, now, there was a problem: despite the fact that I knew I loved Mikes, I had to try and figure out my feelings for Seamus.  
**


	8. Potions Predicament

Okay, as you may or may not have gathered: I was in a rather annoying situation – I had, with the help of Bella, realized that I was in love with my brother's boyfriend's brother, only helped along by Frank's revelation that he thought/knew that Mikey loved me… But, this was not my only problem; since the start of term, I had been plagued by confusion regarding a certain Irish charmer by the name of Seamus Finnegan…

Matters were only made worse in our next potions lesson: Snape, who was in a particularly venomous mood, gave our current seating plan an overhaul: meaning that, instead of being on a table with Frankie, Gerard, Mikey and Bella, I was now sat with Seamus, Neville, Sophia and Ron. Three of those, posed no problem. My only problem was that I was now forced to work with Seamus for the next however long on the term's project.

In a way, I suppose, Snape had done my mental battle a favor: he had forced me to face up to what I had been trying to avoid. **Seamus**.

Snape had set us to work on our antidotes which were due at the end of the next week. So, while trying to help Neville overcome his traditional Potions nerves, I had to try and think through the fact that Seamus' hand kept coming into contact with mine, as our ingredients were set up next to each other's.

"What, Seamus?" I hissed under my breath as his knee nudged mine.

"Just thinking that's all; I've heard that you liked me for quite a while now." He said quietly, keeping his eyes fixed on the desk and so, not looking out for Snape 'the Bat'

"That was a long time ago, Seamus: I'm sorry – I don't see you like that anymore." I tried my best to sound sincere, but, my nerves broke through and my voice cracked under the strain.

Seamus didn't seem to respond to me, but, kept his eyes fixed behind me and I swallowed hard before turning on my stool to see who he was looking at.

"Please," sneered the voice like ice-shards: piercing my soul, "do continue, Mr. Finnegan."

I cursed under my breath and felt my cheeks blaze as the giggles began. I knew that Frank and the others would have guessed what had been said and that crushed me: after all, I had aimed to have a conversation with Mikey later that day, while we made a start on our Charms homework for Flitwick. Now, that was not going to happen: especially as Snape was feeling particularly vindictive. He was not willing to let Seamus or I get away with our whispered conversation.

"Detention." He hissed, as Seamus did not respond. "For both of you and ten points from Gryffindor."

I continued to curse to myself as Snape delivered his punishment with relish: Seamus and I were to return to his dingy dungeon room that evening. My plans for the rest of the evening went up in smoke and there was nothing I could do about it – so, for the rest of the lesson, I muttered a constant stream of insults to Seamus, which I believe he heard. How did I know this? Well, that had something to do with the fact that by the end of the lesson, his face had fallen and he looked relatively put out at the fact that I had not only rejected him, but also insulted him.

Frankie and the others caught up with me after the lesson on the way to our next lesson: History of Magic.

"What did Seamus want with you, sis?"

He determinedly kept pace with me as I tried to pick up my pace. "What do you think he wanted, Frank? Take a wild guess." While my tone was heavy with sarcasm he was able to see through it and put an arm around me as we walked.

"It's okay, Sum: you don't need to worry about him again-"

I found myself laughing. "I don't need to worry? Frank, I'm spending detention with him tonight, what in the name of Merlin am I supposed to do?"

"Stop yelling at me for a start: I'm trying to help you that's all." He pouted. "Anyway, you don't have to speak to him tonight, ignore anything that Leprechaun says and just get on with whatever Snape makes you do." Again, I was laughing, not because the idea was laughable, but, at the idea of Seamus being a Leprechaun.

Mikey strolled on past us, looking back at Frank and I as we laughed together, momentarily forgetting my anxiety and anger. With one look at Mikey's pained expression, my mind was finally made up. I shook Frank's arm off my shoulder and ran to catch up with Mikey.

"Hey, M: can I talk to you later?" I panted; Mikey paused in the middle of the corridor and stared at me – his dark brown eyes glittering and, at the same time he looked confused. "It's nothing bad; at least I don't think it is."

So, the time was set: I would have to have my much needed conversation with Mike later that night after what was sure to be Hell incarnate if Snape had his way.

*******************************

And so it was. Seamus and I sat alone in the dark and miserable Hell created by Severus Snape. But, as Frank had suggested, I did not respond to anything that Seamus said over the course of our incarceration in that dungeon – which meant by the end of the time we spent, he had given up trying to speak to me and was resolutely silent and, oddly solemn, going so far as pouting.

But, I was not going to let that stop me from having my conversation with Mikey. My much needed conversation I might add.

I caught up with Mikey, Gerard and Frank in the Common Room after my detention. Frank took one look at the determined expression on my face and dragged Gerard away to the other side of the room.

Mikey had been trying to do make a dent in his mountain of homework, but, by the looks of things, his brother had not been helping and had proven to be an almighty distraction.

"Hey, Mikeykins." I greeted him cheerily, tucking my legs beneath me, and hugging my knees.

"Hey, Sum-Sum." He sighed to his work, throwing his quill down and trying to force his face into a smile. It was a sad smile and it hurt me.

"This is going to seem to come from nowhere, Mike, but, after the other night – I just need to tell you something-" My voice had been strong, but, as I made the mistake of looking him in the eye, it shook and wavered.

In the back of my mind, I heard the crackling of the fire and a whisper from Frank's voice and then there was a roar from the fire as it grew in size inexplicably.

"I know you do, Summer: I've waited a long time to have this conversation with you." He smiled nervously, a smile which illuminated his pale brown eyes.

"I love you." Three small words were the hardest to say. My mouth dried and I found that I could not look Mikey in the eye. I felt one of Mikey's hands on mine and the other was at my cheek, lifting my face so that I had to look at him.

His eyes met mine and he smiled softly. "I love you, too, Iero –it's been **way** too long." He was sincere and sighed as I rested my forehead against him. I shifted my chair closer to him and laced my fingers through his, savoring the soft texture of his skin.

His fingers dance through my hair and, I felt his lips against my cheek. I spun my head, catching his lips with mine and the moment of contact was pure joy. He kept a hand on my neck, pulling me close; the other hand found my waist and tugged me from my seat and into his lap.

I tucked my head under his chin and laced my fingers through his and sighed softly, gazing across the room and into the fire.

From his perch across the room, I could see Frank's smile of delight. I pulled my tongue out at him and curled closer to Mikey, feeling his arms secure around me.

My moment of joy was ruined when, while curled into my position, the portrait hole swung open and Seamus tumbled through it. Mikey's arms tightened, having felt me tense up at the sight of him.

"There's no need to worry about that Leprechaun anymore, Sum – I'm here to protect you." Mikey assured me delicately.

I nodded and sighed contentedly; there was a sense of satisfaction about being this close to Mikey after all this time.


End file.
